Wildkats blank Bulldogs, 2-0; dominate Browning, 34-0

By JOE SOVA / Hungry Horse News

As the saying goes, good defense wins ballgames.

Columbia Falls had not good, but great defense on Tuesday as the Wildkats blanked rival Whitefish 2-0 behind the pitching of sophomore Drew Walter.

"Drew pitched well and our defense played extremely well," a beaming Kats coach Dave Kehr said.

Shortstop Amanda Milliard knocked down a line drive in the fifth inning, got up and threw out a Bulldog runner out at the plate.

"It definitely was a team effort on defense," Kehr said.

Walter struck out five and walked only one while scattering eight hits.

The Kats' first run came in the second inning when Tia Yaeger scored on a ground out by Amber James. In the fifth with the bases loaded, the ball was dropped on an infield fly rule and Cedar Smith scampered home from third base.

Whitefish had two on with one out in the seventh, but a runner was thrown out at home on a FauntLeRoy single and the Torey Ost flied out to end the game.

Ost held the Kats to five hits, striking out seven.

Milliard reached base four times, walking three times and getting hit with a pitch.

The win leaves the Kats alone in third place in the Western A Conference with a 4-2 mark; they're 6-2 overall. Whitefish dropped to 3-3 and 3-5.

Pounding out 23 hits and scoring 25 runs in two combined innings, the Kats blitzed Browning 34-0 last Friday at CFHS. The game ended in the fifth inning due to the 10-run rule.

Walter, the starter, was the winning pitcher. She was relieved by Jessica Owens in the fourth inning.

Milliard and Yaeger each had four hits for the Kats. Lindsay Nelson was 3-for-3, and James had three hits and five runs batted in.

The Kats play four games in the Frenchtown Tournament this weekend. They face Ronan at 2 p.m. and Anaconda at 4 p.m. on Friday. On Saturday, CFHS plays Frenchtown at noon and Butte Central at 6 p.m.

Browning 000 000 — 0 4 9

Col. Falls (10)54 (15)x — 34 23 0

Hodson and McKay; Walter, Owens (4) and James. WP — Walter. LP — Hodson.

Col. Falls 100 010 0 — 2 5 0

Whitefish 000 000 0 — 0 8 1

Walter and James; Ost and Clarke. WP — Walter. LP — James.

Columbia Falls (4-2, 6-2)

R. Nelson 0-4, Yaeger 1-3, Milliard 0-0, James 1-4, Walter 1-2, L. Nelson 1-3, Skiles 0-3, Rowe 0-3, Smith 1-3.

Whitefish (3-3, 3-5)

FauntLeRoy 2-4, T. Ost 0-4, Clarke 0-3, Holmes 0-3, Mortensen 2-3, D. Ost 0-2, Ybarra-Brunty 2-3, Whisler 1-3, Williams 1-2, Long 0-1.

RBIs — James.